John Greenberry Burnett and John Burnett (R‑M269G)
Descendants of this paternal line trace their lineage to one of two men named John Burnett. Exactly how these two men were related is not yet known, but Y‑DNA testing suggests they may have been first cousins. Since they share the same first name, it is presumed they were not brothers, but possibly first to fourth cousins.
- John Burnett, born 1794 in Indiana, died ca. 1865 in Tarrant County, Texas; married Lucretia Evans
- John Greenberry Burnett, born 1810 in Sullivan County, Tennessee, died 1898 in Sullivan County, Tennessee; married 1) Rebecca Moss, 2) Letitia Godsey
They are discussed separately below.
John Burnett (b. 1794)
In the 1850 census, John’s birth year was recorded as 1794 and the location written as “Inda”, assumed to mean Indiana. Lucretia also listed Indiana as her birthplace in the 1870 census. Indiana became a state in 1818 and was before that part of the Indiana Territory. It is likely that John and Lucretia’s parents were very early settlers on land that later became the state of Indiana. Records of them in these pre‑state years may be found in Illinois.
Some family trees list Robert Reed Burnett of Virginia as John’s father. Robert was living in Virginia and listed his birthplace as Virginia in 1850, so this seems unlikely.
John and Lucretia married in 1824 in Morgan County, Indiana, and John appeared in the 1830 census there. Their son William was born about 1833, almost certainly in Indiana, despite later records listing Missouri. The 1850 census recorded William’s younger sister Matilda (b. ca. 1836) in Indiana, but the next sibling, Rachel S (b. ca. 1838), was born in Missouri — suggesting the family left Indiana around 1837.
William’s Civil War pension application stated he had been in Texas from 1842. If so, John and Lucretia were likely in Missouri from 1838–1842. This is supported by the 1850 census showing Lucretia (b. ca. 1846) in Texas and James W (b. ca. 1842) in Missouri.
John Burnett was granted 80 acres in Morgan County, Indiana, in 1831, but was recorded as a homesteader there as early as 1820 (The Pioneers of Morgan County: Memoirs of Noah J. Major). He was clearly an experienced pioneer, moving from one frontier to another throughout his lifetime.
John received a pre‑emption land grant in Cass County, Texas, in 1856, but the papers state he settled on and improved the land before December 1853. He spent his last years in Tarrant County, Texas, and died about 1865. Lucretia died about 1873.
John Greenberry Burnett (b. 1810)
Military records show John served in the Indian War. His involvement in the Cherokee Removal is documented in a widely published letter that provides details about his birthplace and early life. Below is an excerpt:
“This is my birthday, December 11, 1890, I am eighty years old today. I was born at Kings Iron Works in Sullivan County, Tennessee, December the 11th, 1810. I grew into manhood fishing in Beaver Creek and roaming through the forest hunting the deer and the wild boar and the timber wolf…”
The letter continues with a detailed account of his experience in the Cherokee Removal (Trail of Tears). The original letter is housed at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee, North Carolina. Its accuracy has recently been questioned and was not verified for this work, but it has sparked conversation and reflection about the Trail of Tears.
Kings Iron Works, cited as JGB’s birthplace, was located at the present site of Rooster Front Park in NE Sullivan County, just southwest of Bristol. His descendants lived in this area for generations.
John G. Burnett sold “his interest” in a lot on 4th Street in Bristol to William N. Vance. Since no deed of purchase was found, it is possible he inherited this interest, though the source is unclear.
Nothing is known of John Greenberry Burnett’s parents. The first record found for him in Tennessee was the 1850 census. Despite the letter stating he was born in Sullivan County, an exhaustive search revealed no census, tax list, or other records of anyone named Burnett in Sullivan County prior to 1850.
John married twice: first to Letitia Godsey, mother of all his known children, and second to Rebecca Moss. Given the difficulty of finding his parents, one might suspect an out‑of‑wedlock birth. However, since he is a Y‑DNA match to another Burnett born about 15 years earlier, both men likely acquired the Burnett name through common paternal ancestors.
Haplogroups
Descendants of this line are major haplogroup R‑M269 (R1b), dated 4465 BCE — the most common haplogroup in Western Europe. Since this is the 7th Burnett line of this haplogroup discovered by the Burnett Project, it is referred to as R‑M269G.
Two testers in this group have upgraded to Big‑Y: one descends from John Greenberry Burnett, and the other from John Burnett and Lucretia Evans. These tests revealed branch R‑FT214456, dated 1823 ± 80 years. The actual date is likely early in that range (1740–1750), since their most recent common ancestor must be a grandfather or earlier.
Origins
Archaeological evidence indicates that ancient ancestors of this line were in Northwest Europe at least 4000 years ago. Migration map link
Migration map showing the ancestral routes of the R‑M269G Burnett line from Eastern Europe through Germany and Denmark to the British Isles.
Y‑DNA‑Verified Paternal Ancestors
From the reported family trees of our testers, the paternal ancestors listed below are confirmed members of this paternal line. Many of these are represented by multiple testers. If your Burnett ancestor is listed below, it means you also descend from this paternal Burnett line. Many of the birth and death years are circa / estimated.
| Name | Born | Died | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Burnett | 1794 IN | 1865 Tarrant TX | Lucretia Evans |
| John Greenberry Burnett | 1810 Sullivan TN | 1893 Sullivan TN | Leticia Godsey |
| Lorenzo Dow Burnett | 1830 IN | 1904 Jack TX | Malicia V Gibson |
| William D Burnett | 1833 IN | 1910 Mason TX | Keziah Jones |
| Decatur Hamilton Burnett | 1838 Sullivan TN | 1918 Sullivan TN | Sarah Miller |
| Cyrus Burnett | 1845 Sullivan TN | 1893 Sullivan TN | Eliza Barr |
| Martin Van Buren Burnette | 1850 Sullivan TN | 1926 Sullivan TN | Sarah Jones |
| Peter Franklin Burnett | 1870 Sullivan TN | 1934 Sullivan TN | Sarah Cordelia Goodman |
| Robert Rhea Burnett | 1871 Sullivan TN | 1953 Sullivan TN | Maria Crawford |
| Decatur Hamilton Burnette Jr | 1873 Sullivan TN | 1956 Sullivan TN | Esther Akers |
| Charles Decatur Burnette | 1876 Sullivan TN | 1958 Sullivan TN | Mary Lee Ballard |
| Robert Lee Burnett | 1878 Mason TX | 1917 Terry TX | Laura A Allen |
| Lorenzo Dow Burnett Jr | 1881 Wise TX | 1912 Jack TX | Ann Stella Ferguson |
| Roy Massengil Burnette | 1897 Sullivan TN | 1982 Sullivan TN | Gobbie Bennett |
| Bryan W Burnette | 1900 Sullivan TN | 1965 Sullivan TN | Margaret Blevins |
Family Tree
The family tree below is a sketch of the relationships as suggested by Y‑DNA results. Many birth and death dates are circa / estimated. A broader family tree can be found at Ancestry.com using the link below. If you don’t have a subscription, you can register for free to view contents.
The Burnett Master DNA Tree contains numerous unrelated Burnett lines. There are many men with common names such as John Burnett and William Burnett. The link below directs you to John Greenberry Burnett. To find others, it is easiest to use the “Find In Tree” function and search using the name of the spouse if you are searching for a Burnett with a common name.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/152773121/person/132029633157/facts
Family chart illustrating the relationships suggested by Y‑DNA results for the R‑M269G Burnett line, showing two branches descending from a common ancestor circa 1745 (R‑FT214456).